BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Business Bank

Vincent Cable: I would like to update the House on progress made to set up a new British business bank to support the provision of finance to small and medium-sized firms in the UK.
	Inadequate access to finance remains one of the biggest risks to the UK’s economic recovery. The business bank will manage £3.9 billion of Government resources and bring together management, budgets, spending authorities and the power to alter or create new schemes into one place.
	I announced in December the formation of an advisory group, led by Sir Peter Burt, former chief executive of the Bank of Scotland, which would advise Government in the design phase of establishing the business bank. Under Sir Peter’s leadership, the group has made rapid progress. Their recommendations cover the following issues:
	Coverage of the business bank’s activities;
	Role of wider business advice and the links to the business bank;
	Corporate form of the business bank;
	Performance measures;
	Building on the existing capacities in Government and its agency;
	Resource allocation;
	Risk management systems;
	Use of evidence;
	Leadership including the recruitment of the chair.
	I warmly welcome the group’s advice and have today begun the recruitment of the chair and senior independent director for the British business bank. They will have the unique opportunity to bring together the wide range of finance interventions that will help support the UK’s businesses and economic recovery.
	I would also note that the business bank investment programme launched on 10 April has received a number of applications for funding. I hope to be able to announce the first investments in the autumn.
	The advisory’s group signed recommendations letter and overview paper will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Maximising Voter Registration Measures

Chloe Smith: I am pleased to announce that the Government are making available up to £4.2 million this year to maximise the rate of voter registration
	ahead of the transition to individual electoral registration in 2014. Organisations, neighbourhoods and communities have been asked to come up with ideas to get people involved in the democratic process locally and nationally, with the best ideas being awarded funding from the new innovation fund. I welcome Parliament’s scrutiny and encouragement of such ideas, and urge parliamentarians to consider what could be done in their areas and constituencies.
	Funding is also being made available to local authorities who have solid and creative ideas to get as many people on to the electoral register as possible in their area.
	The introduction of individual electoral registration (IER) in 2014 will modernise our electoral registration system, removing the notion of the head of the household being responsible for the registration of others. IER will also introduce online registration making it more convenient for people to register to vote while also delivering a register that is more secure and engenders greater trust in politics.
	A major benefit of IER is that electors will be individually contacted and encouraged to register. This will enable local authorities to aim to get the maximum number of people on the register, including hard to reach and under-registered groups.
	Currently some people, such as those in shared housing and frequent home movers are some of the most under-represented on the register.
	The funding will be used to support a range of initiatives to be carried out by local authorities and other organisations, such as the voluntary, charity and social enterprise sector, which will work together with the aim of increasing levels of voter registration among under-registered groups. These include:
	The Targeted Canvassing Fund—A fund which will enable electoral registration officers (EROs) to carry out intensified canvassing activity in areas with a high proportion of under-registration.
	The ERO Registration Fund—A fund which will support proposals for activities from electoral registration officers who will use their knowledge of the needs of their local populations to customise their measures.
	Innovation Fund—We will be looking to fund innovative bottom-up approaches to increase representation of under-registered groups (URGs) on the electoral register. We are particularly interested in new innovative approaches to engage communities and increase voter registration.
	Schools Outreach—We will be looking for organisations to deliver a set lesson framework, Rock Enrol, which has been developed and piloted with Bite the Ballot, to a number of schools across England and Wales. This is also available to organisations in Scotland, although we will be looking to ensure that proposals take account of planned activity in schools ahead of the independence referendum.

HEALTH

NHS England (Mandate)

Jeremy Hunt: Today the Government are launching the consultation on the refresh of the mandate to NHS England for 2014-15. The consultation will close on 27 September in readiness for the publication of the refreshed mandate in the autumn to fit with the NHS planning round for 2014-15.
	The mandate sets the Government’s ambitions for the NHS as well as the funding available to achieve and deliver the kind of care people need and expect. The first mandate set an ambitious agenda and was published in November 2012. It covered the period April 2013 to March 2015. The Government expect NHS England to demonstrate significant progress against all 24 objectives by March 2015 and will hold them to account for doing so. The Health and Social Care Act 2012 requires the mandate to be reviewed on an annual basis to ensure that it remains up to date. It is important to provide the NHS with stability and continuity of purpose and we therefore propose to carry forward all the existing 24 objectives.
	At the same time, the scale of the challenge facing the NHS and wider health and care system is becoming increasingly clear. There have been crucial developments and new evidence that has emerged since the publication of the first mandate, which calls on Government and NHS England to act. The key proposed changes reflect these core priorities:
	the actions being taken forward by NHS England in response to the Francis report to transform the care people receive;
	working with NHS England to develop a vulnerable older people plan, which will improve support for older people and those with long-term conditions, particularly through reform of primary care given their pivotal role within communities; and
	the need for the NHS to contribute to securing the recovery of the economy and make better use of resources in the light of the challenging fiscal climate.
	On the second of these priorities, the Government are also launching today dedicated engagement on the vulnerable older people plan, working jointly with NHS England. The engagement will seek views from staff, patients and the public on how to achieve the ambition of how more integrated out-of-hospital care, building on the strong tradition and values of the family doctor.
	In addition to the three priorities, the Government are also proposing to make a number of targeted changes to the current objectives which are thought to be essential to deliver the improvements in people’s care. The consultation document sets out where the Government are proposing to make these changes for the period April 2014 to March 2015.
	The Government welcome views on the proposals and invites comments through the consultation process.
	“Refreshing the Mandate to NHS England: 2014-15 Consultation” has been placed in the Library. Copies are available to hon. Members from the Vote Office and to noble Lords from the Printed Paper Office.

JUSTICE

Azelle Rodney Inquiry

Chris Grayling: Sir Christopher Holland has today published the report of the inquiry which he has conducted under the Inquiries Act 2005 into the death of Azelle Rodney. The inquiry’s terms of reference were:
	“To ascertain by inquiring how, where and in what circumstances Azelle Rodney came by his death on 30 April 2005 and then to make any such recommendations as may seem appropriate”.
	The Metropolitan Police and the Independent Police Complaints Commission will consider the inquiry’s findings and recommendations carefully and will respond appropriately.
	I would like to take this opportunity to record my appreciation of Sir Christopher and his team for all the work they have done over the last three years in conducting the inquiry.

TRANSPORT

Bus Subsidy

Norman Baker: I am pleased to announce today our plans to reform the bus subsidy system. We intend to implement a package of measures designed to improve services by making the subsidy provided to bus companies—bus service operators grant (BSOG)—more targeted and accountable.
	In 2012 there were 4.7 billion bus passenger boardings made in England and over 60% of all public transport trips were made on local buses. Given the crucial role the bus network plays in supporting social inclusion, linking people to places of commerce and providing employers with access to labour markets, buses deserve to be recognised as the backbone of our public transport system and key to a healthy, growing economy.
	However, despite pockets of strong growth, overall bus patronage has been in long-term decline. Added to this, the way in which subsidy is used to support the bus market has become increasingly poorly targeted. This economic context, however, makes it imperative to push for improved bus services that are more locally accountable and provide better value for passenger and taxpayer. This is why we intend to reform bus subsidy by making the following changes:
	creation of a new local government fund—better bus areas;
	devolution to Transport for London/the Greater London Authority of the BSOG paid to London bus operators who operate services under contract to TfL;
	tightening the existing rules defining which bus services can claim BSOG, so that the available funding is put to the best possible use;
	paying BSOG to local authorities, rather than operators, where funding relates to services they support.
	The first three of these changes will take effect from 1 October this year. However, I have decided to allow more time for local authorities and operators to prepare for the paying of BSOG for supported services to authorities outside London. Therefore this change will not come into force until 1 January 2014.
	We consulted widely on these proposals in late 2012, and our consultation response which we are publishing today—copies of which are being placed in the Library of the House—sets out the Government’s commitment to each of the above measures.
	Devolving funding for supported services to local authorities will give communities more control over how money is spent. At the same time, I am keen this change should not cause temporary instability to local services. The majority of both bus operators and local
	authorities have asked for an extended period of ring fencing, and I believe that the case is a strong one. The funds which we devolve will, therefore, be ring fenced until the end of 2016-17. In turn, we expect local authorities to take due account of the tendered BSOG foregone by bus companies operating non-commercial services in managing existing contractual arrangements with them for these services and when agreeing new contracts.
	A further key reform is the introduction of better bus areas. I was delighted to designate Sheffield as the first BBA in February. Other local authorities had until today to bid to become BBAs with announcements on further designations to be made this autumn. BBAs offer an opportunity to explore how bus subsidy can be better used by local authorities, working with local operators, to attract more people onto buses and ensure better value for the taxpayer.
	Management of bus services in London is the responsibility of Transport for London and most of the substantial funding from central Government to support transport in London is currently paid to TfL in a single
	grant. In line with this, from October a sum broadly equivalent to the BSOG for London services will be paid directly to TfL and the Greater London Authority.
	Finally, BSOG was designed to support local bus services, but over time a wider range of services than was intended laid claim to some of the subsidy. So, we have tightened the rules so that certain services are no longer eligible for BSOG. In particular, the removal of eligibility from rail replacement buses will also serve as a message to the rail industry that we expect them to use trains rather than buses wherever possible.
	The Government recognises that this package of reforms represents significant change for the industry. Local authority and bus industry views have therefore been vital to the development of our proposals and I am grateful for the input we have received. The reforms announced today mark an opportunity to reshape the support we provide for the bus industry for the better, using a long-standing subsidy in a targeted manner in order to improve services, encourage partnership working and deliver better value for money. I look forward to the improvements that these reforms will bring.